--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was in this man's class that I first…" description: "\"“It was in this man's class that I first began to wonder if people who wrote fiction were not suffering from some kind of disorder--from what I've sinc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/michael-chabon-627_bad-luck_it-was-in-this-man-s-class-that-i-first_203685.png" --- # It was in this man's class that I first began to wonder if… ![“It was in this man's class that I first began to wonder if people who wrote fiction were not suffering from some kind of disorder--from what I've since come to think of, remembering the wild nocturnal rocking of Albert Vetch, as the midnight disease. The midnight disease is a kind of emotional…” quote by Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/michael-chabon-627_bad-luck_it-was-in-this-man-s-class-that-i-first_203685.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/michael-chabon-627_bad-luck_it-was-in-this-man-s-class-that-i-first_203685.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/michael-chabon-627_bad-luck_it-was-in-this-man-s-class-that-i-first_203685.png) > ““It was in this man's class that I first began to wonder if people who wrote fiction were not suffering from some kind of disorder--from what I've since come to think of, remembering the wild nocturnal rocking of Albert Vetch, as the midnight disease. The midnight disease is a kind of emotional insomnia; at every conscious moment its victim--even if he or she writes at dawn, or in the middle of the afternoon--feels like a person lying in a sweltering bedroom, with the window thrown open, looking up at a sky filled with stars and airplanes, listening to the narrative of a rattling blind, an ambulance, a fly trapped in a Coke bottle, while all around him the neighbors soundly sleep. this is in my opinion why writers--like insomniacs--are so accident-prone, so obsessed with the calculus of bad luck and missed opportunities, so liable to rumination and a concomitant inability to let go of a subject, even when urged repeatedly to do so.”” [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers often experience a restless, insomnia‑like mental state that fuels obsessive creativity but also hampers letting go. **In simple terms:** Writers suffer a restless mental condition that drives both creativity and fixation. Key Takeaway Recognize and manage creative obsession. Themes creativity obsession mental health Mood introspective analytical Type literary essay philosophical When to use this quote - writer’s block - creative burnout - night‑time work - self‑criticism Key Concepts emotional insomnia artistic drive rumination Questions to Reflect On - How does this “midnight disease” affect your work? - Can you balance intensity with rest? A Different Perspective Obsessive focus can lead to burnout and missed opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-luck/) [Disease Midnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease-midnight-2121330/) [Emotional Insomnia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional-insomnia-2121332/) [Fiction Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-suffering-2121331/) [Like Insomniacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-insomniacs-2121333/) [Midnight Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midnight-disease-1759965/) [Missed Opportunities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missed-opportunities/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The midnight disease is a kind of emotional insomnia; at ever conscious moment its victim—even if he or she writes at dawn, or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/the-midnight-disease-is-a-kind-of-emotional-insomnia-at-ever/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“writers—like insomniacs—are so accident-prone, so obsessed with the calculus of bad luck and missed opportunities, so liable to rumination and a concomitant inability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/writers-like-insomniacs-are-so-accident-prone-so-obsessed-with-the/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Maybe the midnight disease was like that, too. After a while you lost the ability to distinguish between your fictional and actual words; you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/maybe-the-midnight-disease-was-like-that-too-after-a-while-you-lost/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“It seemed to me that Q. was talking about the nature of the midnight disease, which started as a simple feeling of disconnection from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/it-seemed-to-me-that-q-was-talking-about-the-nature-of-the-midnight/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [If you want to know why all writers are a little crazy read 'The Midnight Disease' by Alice W. Flaherty. She talks about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-benton-frank/if-you-want-to-know-why-all-writers-are-a-little-crazy-read-the/) [Dorothea Benton Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-benton-frank/) > [“If only there were a game whose winning required a gift for the identification of missed opportunities and of things lost and irrecoverable, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/if-only-there-were-a-game-whose-winning-required-a-gift-for-the/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Small moment, missed opportunities, things we don't see or pay attention to at the time sometimes have a far bigger impact on our lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sheehan-miles/small-moment-missed-opportunities-things-we-don-t-see-or-pay/) [Charles Sheehan-Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sheehan-miles/) > [I'm not making excuses for the missed opportunities of the Israelis, or the lack of generosity, the lack of empathy that I think goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-m-not-making-excuses-for-the-missed-opportunities-of-the-israelis/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“I often use the hypothetical out-of-control ice-cream truck. What would happen if you were walking across the street and were suddenly hit by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/i-often-use-the-hypothetical-out-of-control-ice-cream-truck-what/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [Just as, in travel, one may miss seeing the sunset because one cannot find the ticket-office or is afraid of missing the train, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-origo/just-as-in-travel-one-may-miss-seeing-the-sunset-because-one-cannot/) [Iris Origo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-origo/) > [The memories for the missed opportunities are stronger than for the ones I managed to get over the line in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hendry/the-memories-for-the-missed-opportunities-are-stronger-than-for-the/) [Stephen Hendry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hendry/) > [“Without a clear definition of success, board discussions can become disjointed, with members focusing on different priorities and potentially conflicting agendas. It can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr/without-a-clear-definition-of-success-board-discussions-can-become/) [Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr/) > [If you don't take the time to sharpen your axe, you'll spend your whole life hacking away at missed opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-toth/if-you-don-t-take-the-time-to-sharpen-your-axe-you-ll-spend-your/) [Blake Toth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-toth/) > [ \[When I die\], I will decidedly not be regretting missed opportunities for a good time. My regrets will be more along the lines of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/when-i-die-i-will-decidedly-not-be-regretting-missed-opportunities/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [If someone means a lot to you, tell them. People come and go, and missed opportunities turn into regrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-someone-means-a-lot-to-you-tell-them-people-come-and-go-and-missed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Michael Chabon > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Anyway, it's a pretty good story," I said. "You have to admit." "Yeah?" He crumpled up the Kleenex, having dispatched the solitary tear. "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/anyway-it-s-a-pretty-good-story-i-said-you-have-to-admit-yeah-he/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [There were so many Pittsburgh poets in my hallway that if, at that instant, a meteorite had come smashing through my roof, there would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/there-were-so-many-pittsburgh-poets-in-my-hallway-that-if-at-that/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Badass.'" My grandfather sampled the flavor of the word. It did not seem to revolt him, but it was nothing he needed ever to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/badass-my-grandfather-sampled-the-flavor-of-the-word-it-did-not-seem/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [See you in the funny papers," he said. Jaunty, he reminded himself; always jaunty. In my panache is their hope for salvation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/see-you-in-the-funny-papers-he-said-jaunty-he-reminded-himself-always/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“I didn't want to be left alone with Timothy, not because I was afraid of him but because I was afraid that somebody would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/i-didn-t-want-to-be-left-alone-with-timothy-not-because-i-was-afraid/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“He had already seized this particular day once, but he was prepared, if need be, to go ahead and seize the motherfucker all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/he-had-already-seized-this-particular-day-once-but-he-was-prepared-if/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“We figure he must have let him out. The perpetrator, I mean. He's blind and we figure he just wandered off and maybe got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/we-figure-he-must-have-let-him-out-the-perpetrator-i-mean-he-s-blind/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Then I reminded myself that I was always willing to listen to arguments in favor of avoiding an unpleasant chore, and I shook my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/then-i-reminded-myself-that-i-was-always-willing-to-listen-to/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Love great first lines and paragraphs. From The Yiddish Policemen's Union: Nine months Landsman's been flopping at the Hotel Zamenhof without any of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/love-great-first-lines-and-paragraphs-from-the-yiddish-policemen-s/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Life blew in gusts from the hole in the side of the elephant with a rank smell and a comic flatulence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/life-blew-in-gusts-from-the-hole-in-the-side-of-the-elephant-with-a/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [Not only would I never want to belong to any club that would have me for a member--if elected I would wear street shoes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/not-only-would-i-never-want-to-belong-to-any-club-that-would-have-me/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [That's the best thing about writing, when you're in that zone, you're porous, ready to absorb the solution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/that-s-the-best-thing-about-writing-when-you-re-in-that-zone-you-re/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [Most science fiction seemed to be written for people who already liked science fiction; I wanted to write stories for anyone, anywhere, living at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/most-science-fiction-seemed-to-be-written-for-people-who-already/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [ “For as long as I could remember, I'd been making vague and confident assurances that any day I would finish the thing \[my book\].… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/for-as-long-as-i-could-remember-i-d-been-making-vague-and-confident/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) [Explore all 436 Michael Chabon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) ## More Bad luck quotes > [“You never talk to the pitcher when…” He shook his head. “You just never talk to the pitcher when--” “I just wanted to congratulate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/you-never-talk-to-the-pitcher-when-he-shook-his-head-you-just-never/) [Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/) > [Bad luck isn't brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/bad-luck-isn-t-brought-by-broken-mirrors-but-by-broken-minds/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [I never knew an early-rising, hard-working, prudent man, careful of his earnings, and strictly honest who complained of bad luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/i-never-knew-an-early-rising-hard-working-prudent-man-careful-of-his/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“I didn't do any of what they told me,' she said, 'because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-didn-t-do-any-of-what-they-told-me-she-said-because-the-more-i/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Everyone knows it is bad luck to step on a toad or on the shadow of a tree, to walk under a ladder,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-knows-it-is-bad-luck-to-step-on-a-toad-or-on-the-shadow-of-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Because the core of my personal philosophy is that everything that happens to us benefits us, I was also spared the futility of cursing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-the-core-of-my-personal-philosophy-is-that-everything-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There is no bad luck in the world but whitefolks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-is-no-bad-luck-in-the-world-but-whitefolks/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [The biggest trap, the biggest dungeon in life isn't laziness or bad luck, it's comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/the-biggest-trap-the-biggest-dungeon-in-life-isn-t-laziness-or-bad/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [All of us have bad luck and good luck. The man who persists through the bad luck - who keeps right on going -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-collier/all-of-us-have-bad-luck-and-good-luck-the-man-who-persists-through/) [Robert Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-collier/) > [“I was just beginning to wonder how long I would have to wait when finally a guard sauntered up and said, “Galloway, get your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-galloway/i-was-just-beginning-to-wonder-how-long-i-would-have-to-wait-when/) [Noah Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-galloway/) > [“Oh, I don’t buy lottery tickets... because if I won, and I was capable of that kind of odd luck, then I would also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissi-sepe/oh-i-don-t-buy-lottery-tickets-because-if-i-won-and-i-was-capable-of/) [Chrissi Sepe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissi-sepe/) > [“Before Tessa could answer, there was a knock at the door, and a familiar voice. "It's Jem. Tessa, are you there?" Charlotte sat bolt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/before-tessa-could-answer-there-was-a-knock-at-the-door-and-a/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“If you were crossing the road and saw a black cat passing, you may possibly get hit by a car, or a mail boy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basma-salem/if-you-were-crossing-the-road-and-saw-a-black-cat-passing-you-may/) [Basma Salem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basma-salem/) > [I'm very superstitious, and I think it's bad luck. You don't have to show your love by tattooing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priya-sachdev/i-m-very-superstitious-and-i-think-it-s-bad-luck-you-don-t-have-to/) [Priya Sachdev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priya-sachdev/) > [To my bad luck, my first schedule for 'Natasaarvabhowma' was in Kolkata and I was not really introduced to the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anupama-parameswaran/to-my-bad-luck-my-first-schedule-for-natasaarvabhowma-was-in-kolkata/) [Anupama Parameswaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anupama-parameswaran/) [Browse all 529 Bad luck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-luck/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was in this man's class that I first began to wonder if people who wrote fiction were not suffering from some kind of disorder--from what I've since come to think of, remembering the wild nocturnal rocking of Albert Vetch, as the midnight disease. The midnight disease is a kind of emotional insomnia; at every conscious moment its victim--even if he or she writes at dawn, or in the middle of the afternoon--feels like a person lying in a sweltering bedroom, with the window thrown open, looking up at a sky filled with stars and airplanes, listening to the narrative of a rattling blind, an ambulance, a fly trapped in a Coke bottle, while all around him the neighbors soundly sleep. this is in my opinion why writers--like insomniacs--are so accident-prone, so obsessed with the calculus of bad luck and missed opportunities, so liable to rumination and a concomitant inability to let go of a subject, even when urged repeatedly to do so.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Chabon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/it-was-in-this-man-s-class-that-i-first-began-to-wonder-if-people-who/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad luck" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/it-was-in-this-man-s-class-that-i-first-began-to-wonder-if-people-who/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/michael-chabon-627_bad-luck_it-was-in-this-man-s-class-that-i-first_203685.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/michael-chabon-627_bad-luck_it-was-in-this-man-s-class-that-i-first_203685.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/michael-chabon-627_bad-luck_it-was-in-this-man-s-class-that-i-first_203685.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was in this man's class that I first began to wonder if people who wrote fiction were not suffering from…” — Michael Chabon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michael Chabon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It was in this man's class...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/it-was-in-this-man-s-class-that-i-first-began-to-wonder-if-people-who/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/it-was-in-this-man-s-class-that-i-first-began-to-wonder-if-people-who/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```